Low-Power, Simple Living
A couple of summers ago I spent two weeks aboard a 30-foot sloop in the British Virgin Islands with my wife, my teenaged son,...
PS Advisor: 01/15/02
Disappearing ZincsWhen I got my Cabo Rico 38, with nine bronze through-hulls, all bonded, she lived in the brackish waters of Tampa Bay. But...
Cool Currents: A/C on DC?
Practical Sailor published articles on air-conditioning (A/C) in the December 2000 and January 1, 2001 issues. Shortly thereafter we received some letters from readers asking...
Electric Propulsion: Solomon Technologies’ High-Wire Act
As much as we like to believe that we're purists when it comes to sailing, the auxiliary engine is obviously very important to most...
PS Advisor: July 2001
Lexan vs. PlexiIm planning to replace my wooden companionway boards with translucent plastic. Is there a difference between Lexan and plexiglass? Can both be...
Techni-Ice: So Long, Blue Bricks
Techni-Ice, invented in Australia, is meant to act as a substitute for ice, and it does a good job of it—better, in our opinion,...
Rocker Switches, Pin-Stop Lead Cars, FendFast
One of the good names in marine electrical equipment is Cole Hersee, maker of switches. Boat owners are probably most familiar with its line...
Small Batteries, Chargers, and How To Recharge on Board
Nobody paid much attention when it started with portable radios, but then along came cellular and cordless phones, cordless tools, video cameras, CD players,...
Corroded Whale Gusher 10 Pump
A photo in a report on manual bilge pumps (in the April 15, 2000 issue) showed a Whale Gusher 10 that a reader had...
Deka Deep-Cycle Battery Performs…
Following our August 1, 1999 discharge tests of batteries from Exide, Interstate, GNB, Rolls and West Marine, a number of readers asked for a...